Kings West MLA Leo Glavine says news of layoffs at O.H. Armstrong Limited in Kingston means 14 people are without work and is another setback for the province‚Äôs farm community.

‚ÄúThis is very unfortunate news for the employees and families who have lost their livelihood,‚ÄĚ says Glavine. ‚ÄúThese job losses will impact our community at a time when our rural economy is already suffering.‚ÄĚ

Glavine argues that the closure of the facility will also impact the availability of local food and the momentum the local food movement has been generating.

‚ÄúLocal food advocates should be concerned with this closure ‚Äď as Nova Scotians, we all should,‚ÄĚ says Glavine. ‚ÄúLess availability of locally produced meat and more reliance on food products from outside our province will not benefit our province in the short or long term.

Glavine says the province‚Äôs agricultural sector is under significant pressure and the need to find a way forward for this industry is at a critical point.

‚ÄúWhere is the provincial response here?‚ÄĚ asked Glavine. ‚ÄúWe simply can‚Äôt let our agricultural sector wither and die - the province needs to take more proactive measures with the agricultural industry before it starts to face a crisis like that currently faced by the pulp and paper industry.‚ÄĚ

Glavine is holding a meeting with farm community and local livestock producers on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Driftwood Restaurant meeting room in Berwick. Representatives from the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture will also be attending.

Glavine remains hopeful a representative from government will be on hand for the discussion as well.

An agriculture sector under pressure and a dwindling supply of local livestock for production has lead O.H. Armstrong Limited in Kingston to discontinue it slaughter operations.

The decision means 14 employees who work on the company‚Äôs kill floor will lose their jobs on Jan. 25. Those affected are a combination of skilled meat cutters and unskilled labour.

Armstrong general manager Ted Devitt confirmed the action was taken out of economic necessity.

‚ÄúIt is no longer economically feasible to operate a kill operation. We had to let it go.‚ÄĚ

Devitt said the move came as no surprise in the industry.

‚ÄúWhen we informed the department of agriculture, the resounding response was ‚Äėhow have you hung on this long?‚ÄĚ reported Devitt.

He added the company has been ‚Äúhoping for the best over the past two years‚ÄĚ and trying to keep the kill service for local producers.

‚ÄúIt is an unfortunate situation and we felt a responsibility to our farmers, but when the (local meat) supply dwindles there is little that can be done.‚ÄĚ

Devitt explained Armstrongs needed to slaughter 250 animals per week to meet their production quotas. The company has been averaging only 15-30 animals a week from the local market and been forced to purchase meat from outside suppliers to meet production. With the closure of the kill floor, all meat will come from purchased sources.

While slaughtering on site is no longer an option, Devitt pointed out other facets of Armstrong‚Äôs business ‚Äúare solid‚ÄĚ and will remain unchanged.

‚ÄúO.H. Armstrong will remain a local meat processing facility. That is not going to change,‚ÄĚ stressed Devitt.

The company is a provincially inspected meat processor which produces a line of specialty and portion-controlled beef and pork items at the Kingston production facility. It is also a full service food distributor catering to the food service industry in Nova Scotia.